Best Time to Drive from Vacaville to Sacramento

Right now (7:32 pm PDT): about 34 minutes via I-80 East, usually 33 at this time.

Only 44% of this drive is measured by working traffic sensors right now. The rest is estimated from nearby sensors, typical speeds and street traffic, so times can be off. Why so few sensors work.

Typical drive time by departure time

Minutes from Vacaville to Sacramento by day and time you leave (local time)
Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	32	32	34	33	35	38	38	40	39	39	37	34	33	33	32	32	32
Tue	32	32	34	34	35	36	37	37	37	37	36	33	33	32	32	32	31
Wed	32	33	34	34	35	36	37	37	37	37	36	34	32	32	32	32	31
Thu	32	32	33	34	34	35	37	36	37	38	36	34	33	32	32	32	31
Fri	32	32	34	34	34	35	36	37	39	38	38	36	34	33	33	33	32
Sat	32	32	32	32	34	35	36	36	36	35	36	35	33	33	33	33	32
Sun	32	32	32	32	32	33	33	34	34	35	33	33	33	33	33	33	32

About this drive

On weekdays the 35-mile drive from Vacaville to Sacramento (via I-80 East) usually takes as little as 31 minutes and up to 40 minutes, when leaving around 12 pm on Mondays. The fastest times to leave are before 8:30 am or after 4 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 37 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Saturdays (36 minutes).

About 32 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 2 miles surface streets (3 to 4 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Vacaville to downtown Sacramento (the Capitol) along the route on the map. Starting or ending elsewhere in a big city can add or save several minutes.

Simulated from typical freeway speeds at each point of the drive for the time you would reach it, from every 5-minute reading we have recorded. We don't have sensors on surface streets yet, so the time on them is estimated from how congested the freeways around each end of the drive are at that time, in both directions: streets jam when the freeways do.

Questions

What is the best time to drive from Vacaville to Sacramento?

On weekdays, leave before 8:30 am or after 4 pm. The drive usually takes about 31 minutes then, versus up to 40 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Vacaville to Sacramento?

The 35-mile drive usually takes 31 to 40 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 37 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Vacaville to Sacramento?

Leaving around 12 pm on Mondays is usually slowest, about 40 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-80 East in Sacramento (21 miles) · I-80 East in Bay Area (6 miles) · US-50 East in Sacramento (3 miles) · I-5 North in Sacramento (1 mile)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow · Sacramento traffic right now · Sacramento traffic tomorrow

More drives

Sacramento to Vacaville (return trip) · Vacaville to San Francisco

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	32	32	34	33	35	38	38	40	39	39	37	34	33	33	32	32	32
Tue	32	32	34	34	35	36	37	37	37	37	36	33	33	32	32	32	31
Wed	32	33	34	34	35	36	37	37	37	37	36	34	32	32	32	32	31
Thu	32	32	33	34	34	35	37	36	37	38	36	34	33	32	32	32	31
Fri	32	32	34	34	34	35	36	37	39	38	38	36	34	33	33	33	32
Sat	32	32	32	32	34	35	36	36	36	35	36	35	33	33	33	33	32
Sun	32	32	32	32	32	33	33	34	34	35	33	33	33	33	33	33	32

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	32	32	34	33	35	38	38	40	39	39	37	34	33	33	32	32	32
Tue	32	32	34	34	35	36	37	37	37	37	36	33	33	32	32	32	31
Wed	32	33	34	34	35	36	37	37	37	37	36	34	32	32	32	32	31
Thu	32	32	33	34	34	35	37	36	37	38	36	34	33	32	32	32	31
Fri	32	32	34	34	34	35	36	37	39	38	38	36	34	33	33	33	32
Sat	32	32	32	32	34	35	36	36	36	35	36	35	33	33	33	33	32
Sun	32	32	32	32	32	33	33	34	34	35	33	33	33	33	33	33	32

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	32	32	34	33	35	38	38	40	39	39	37	34	33	33	32	32	32
Tue	32	32	34	34	35	36	37	37	37	37	36	33	33	32	32	32	31
Wed	32	33	34	34	35	36	37	37	37	37	36	34	32	32	32	32	31
Thu	32	32	33	34	34	35	37	36	37	38	36	34	33	32	32	32	31
Fri	32	32	34	34	34	35	36	37	39	38	38	36	34	33	33	33	32
Sat	32	32	32	32	34	35	36	36	36	35	36	35	33	33	33	33	32
Sun	32	32	32	32	32	33	33	34	34	35	33	33	33	33	33	33	32